It has been said that in life everything happens for a reason. While Ron Stepanek knows his reasons for turning down the position of golf director for the Town of Barnstable, it hasn't made living with it any easier.

When Stepanek, living in Florida, applied for the position, it seemed like the ideal job. "Back in December, I wrote a description of my dream job and this was it," he said during a phone interview Tuesday.

The position would have allowed Stepanek to oversee Barnstable's two public golf courses, Hyannis Golf Club and the Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds Golf Course, something Stepanek felt would be worth relocating to the Cape.

Then Stepanek began questioning the situation and listening to well meaning but skeptical friends who had concerns about his move. "Friends and family members got in my head and created reservations," he said. "It created this indecision. Someone asked me, 'If you have this indecision, why are you going?'"

Of issue for those worried about Stepanek and his family was the disparity in the cost of living between Florida and Cape Cod. "It was a question of could I afford to live on Cape Cod," he said, noting it would be about a 45 percent higher cost of living.

Eventually the reservations of Stepanek's family and friends made him wary of a move, resulting in his decision to turn down the golf director position, a decision Stepanek is now regretting. "Right now, I'm saying it was the worst decision of my life," he said.

Humbly, he cautions folks not to feel overly sorry for him. "I got myself into this situation," he said. "After the way I treated Dave Curley at the Town of Barnstable, no one should feel sorry for me. I think my treatment of them was really unfortunate."

For his part, Curley acknowledges disappointment over losing Stepanek but notes that the town has moved on. "We're now in the process of hiring an individual to take the position," he said. "We hope to make an announcement in about a week."

A pool of excellent candidates for the position made Curley's job of finding someone else to take the job somewhat easier. "We were very fortunate that we had a number of quality individuals," he said. "Golf season is here, so we'd like to get this completed."

As for Stepanek, who works for the golf industry in Florida, he, too, believes it is time to move forward, in spite of any regrets. "I need to focus on the future and regroup," he said. "Most people would say the job I have now is good."